It is Central Greece where in August 480 BC. on the Isthmus of Thermopylae, took place one of the most famous battles between the Greek and Persian armies. In the name of Spartan ideals, in the bloody clash, 300 Spartans and hundreds of Greek warriors gave their lives. It must be remembered that despite the vast superiority of the Persian army over the Greek one, for two days of fighting, none of the efforts of Persian warriors bring any results apart from the increasing number of deaths. The Spartan fight, led by King Leonidas, turned into a slaughter. Only the betrayal of Efialtes changed the fate of the Persian warriors and brought victory to King Xerxes I. The battle of Thermopylae became evidence of Spartan’s bravery and perpetuated as a symbol of the sacrifice of life on the battlefield.

It was the Central Greece where, according to the Greeks, the so-called navel of the world, the ancient Delphi, was located. Delphic oracle unveiled not only the fate of kings and chieftains, but also ordinary citizens. Pythia, intoxicated with the fumes coming out of the ground, answered the questions of the comers, but it was the priests who put her words into predictions. One theory says that the priests were quite well informed in the contemporary world and used this fact to create prophecies. More interesting, however, is the version which says that Pytia contacted the holy gods. Regardless of the sources of information, Pythia did not make a mistake in predicting the Spartans, before the upcoming battle at Thermopylae, that their country would be taken over by enemies.

Nowadays, the most famous place in Central Greece (or actually Attica) is probably Athens, which in antiquity was a city-state (polis), one of the most important in ancient Greece. It was there that the most famous Greek philosophers, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were stationed. It was in Athens that Fidias made his sculptural masterpieces. And most importantly, it is Athens that is considered the homeland of democracy.

There was no option that our tour around the mainland Greece would not include the visit of the above-mentioned places. Finally, after years of learning Ancient Greek at school and watching historical programs, I saw with my own eyes the cradle of our Western civilization.

Thermopylae

It is hard to believe, but today Thermopylae is only a small village, which may get unnoticed by a tourist who is on the way to the south of the country. It’s easy to smell it though. The reason for it being sulfur-rich hot springs (point C on the map) which are located in the village. Supposedly, they have healing properties. Local Greeks come usually after dark to take the baths in the little pool with an artificial waterfall. In spite of the fact that the area was a bit out of the way, not properly lit and full of funny looking characters we followed the locals and joined them in the evening ritual. The water was very hot (40 degrees) and we were instructed to stay no more than 15 min. The following day we returned for a morning bathing and photography session.

Due to the fact that there are practically no tourist facilities in Thermopylae, we found our accommodation in the nearby town of Kamena Vourla (point A on the map). Also there, there were thermal pools (point B on the map) with slightly cooler water than in Thermopylae, where it was recommended to stay for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Delphi

Delphi (point D on the map) made a similar impression on me as visited earlier that year, Pompeii. HUGE. Both places are today only ruins but ruins so vast and so well preserved (or reconstructed) that it’s just impossible to not fall into rapture. Since primary school I associated Delphi with a picture of a round building surrounded by columns, so-called Tholos of Delphi, a part of the sanctuary of Athena. It was amazing to be there and see it for myself. Just the drive to Delphi among the mountains of Parnassus and valleys covered with olive groves was an experience in itself, not to mention sauntering around the ruins about 3,000 years old. Delphi is definitely a ‘must see’ on the list of all Greek attractions.

Athens

After two weeks of intense sightseeing and road tripping around Greece, I didn’t really have enough strength for Athens. The last remnants were enough for me to visit the Acropolis (point F on the map). The queue for tickets was long and the climb up the limestone hill in the heat of the sun was slow but it was worth it. While admiring the complex of temples, I didn’t have to strain myself too much to imagine how this place must have looked in its heyday. Although my visit to Athens was very superficial, I liked the city and I would gladly return to it for a more in-depth exploration.